NATURAL HAIR IS "BUSHY"..... REALLY?

It is a beautiful day today and I feel so energetic and happy.

I should have blogged about this conversation that ensured between I and my friend but I have been so lazy about it.

Anyway, on the 29th August I chatted with my friend and she wanted to talk about hair and of course, I love to talk about hair so the following conversation ensued...

I laughed over it but couldn't talk to my sister about it because she was asleep so I patiently waited till the next morning.

I woke up very early and said my morning prayers and then I was like......

Martyna(me): I had a chat with my friend yesterday and can you imagine what she said?

Pamela(my sister): No.... what did she say?

Martyna(me): We were talking about natural hair and she said natural hair is bushy.

Pamela(my sister): Is that what she Called it?

Martyna(me): Yes?

Pamela(my sister): If it is bushy she calls it, then I love bushy

Martyna(me): Oh yeah!!! "I love bushy" I love that.  But seriously?

Pamela(my sister): Yeah!!! In fact, I am in love with bushy hair.

                    L. O. L. !!!😅😃😀😁😛

HOW TO ACHIEVE A PERFECT FINGER SHINGLING

Finger shingling might look simple, just follow your normal regimen during your wash day and then apply your leave in and gel and begin to work on your hair with your fingers. Yea..... I'm not doubting. It looks very easy but on a second thought, why do ladies still complain of their finger shingling not Turning out like the videos on YouTube?

Let's get the tips to achieving a perfect finger shingling

1. Detangle thoroughly - Detangle your hair thoroughly with either a comb or your fingers. Always detangle in sections. Use clips to hold your hair and work gradually.

2. Deep condition - You really want your hair to be manageable then this is a "must do" to achieve a manageable hair.

3. Trim your hair - I am not scared of trimming my hair. I have trimmed my hair once this year and dusted my ends twice. Your styles will come out right when your hair is healthy. So go get a trim if your styles are failing.

4. Lastly, you need to determine whether your hair likes been worked on when wet or when dry.

MY WEEKEND TREAT/ STYLE

I started off  by detangling my hair with coconut oil. I applied coconut oil to my scalp and hair and covered with a shower cap for 30 mins. Detangled gradually by working on a section at a time. Prepooed overnight using mayonnaise. 

Next day, I washed with ORS sulphate free shampoo and deep conditioned with Cantu deep treatment masque mixed with olive oil and honey. I Rinsed off the hair masque after 2 hours and wrapped my hair with a T-shirt.  When my hair was 80% dry, I applied almond oil to my scalp and massaged gently then I applied cantu leave in conditioner before sealing with shea butter.

Truth be told..... I'm still learning how to finger shingle my hair so my sister was kind enough to help. /smiles/

She used Eco styler gel, applied on a section and combed through with her fingers before shingling. It took us 2 hours to finish. We started late and I had a church program to attend so I had to blow dry my hair. Normally, I would Air dry but because I didn't want my hair to ruin, I had to substitute.

The style came out more beautiful than expected . I'm so excited. This style actually makes me feel like maintaining a TWA from a while. Still putting that into consideration.

The shine on my hair is so obvious that I was been asked about what I applied. But seriously, I can't tell. But I'll definitely keep doing what  I do. Maybe someday,  I can be able to explain  but for now, I'm just feeling myself.

Love you all.. and thanks for reading.

DIY/ Coconut milk and avocado

From the Indian spot.com,  the benefits of coconut milk are innumerable.  It nourishes hair by giving you natural hair moisture from your roots to ends. It helps in hair loss, it helps to detangle hair and helps promote healthy growth of hair.

I have been using this D.I.Y treatment for sometime but in different ways to understand the method that will work perfectly for my hair.

I usually opt for fresh coconut then blend to get fresh milk. I blended the avocado and sieved.

Read also How to extract coconut milk

I have tried this treatment 3 times in 3 different weeks.

Week 1- To the mixed avocado and coconut milk, I added 2 tbsp of EVOO and used it as a prepoo. I prepooed for 1 hour, using a shower cap.  I Rinsed afterwards with warm water and proceeded with shampooing with ORS sulphate free shampoo and deep conditioned with Cantu deep treatment masque for 30 to 45 minutes.

Result: my hair wasn't manageable as expected.

Week 2-  I shampooed using ORS sulphate free shampoo with warm water. Towel dried before conditioning.  This time, I decided to use it a a deep conditioner.  I applied the same quantity from the previous week and covered with a shower cap for 30mins.

Result: Frizz free, enough slip but there was something missing.

I asked my self severally.... What's missing? What am I doing wrong? Could it be me or maybe this D.I.Y treatment isn't for my hair?.... I've tried coconut banana hair mask and I couldn't stop having a feel of my hair because I loved how it felt. But then, I decided to give it another try.

Week 3- I prepooed with the same quantity but this time, I prepooed overnight.  Next day, I Rinsed with cool water, shampooed once and deep conditioned with Cantu deep treatment masque for 3 hours, using a shower cap. Rinse and T-shirt dried.

Result.: Manageable, frizz free, tangle free and yes!!! I found what was missing. 

Let me try as much as possible to detail it out to you.  I have a low porosity hair meaning that my hair cuticles are closed. Deep condition with a shower cap for 30 minutes is not enough to open up the cuticles to allow the treatments sink in. If I was to seat under a hair drier or a steamer, 20 minutes will be perfect but because I was using a shower cap, I needed more time. The last week result came out to be the best result because I deep conditioned for a longer time. My hair was so manageable and I'm thinking of keeping up with this treatment. I am super happy to find out what works for my hair.

When you find out what works for you, keep up. There's nothing as exciting as having good hair days. /smiles/

Thanks for reading. 
Love Always, Martyna. 

WAYS TO SAVE MONEY WHILE MAINTAINING YOUR NATURAL HAIR

Many of us are conscious of the cost spent on natural hair that we often want to seek ways to cut down on the cost and still maintain a healthy hair. It is very possible. You may not be a product junkie before you grow a healthy hair. You can still grow a healthy hair without spending thousands on hair. I know ladies that spend N7 to N8 to purchase one product so it's left for you to imagine how much will be spent on purchasing a set of starters kit.

Most products sold in Nigeria are U.S based products. So, you can also imagine the cost of buying them here. With all the expenses incurred on shipping, the sellers will definitely need to make ends meet. And the dollar rate in Nigeria is nothing to write home about.

Now the question is. How can I cut down on the cost of maintaining natural hair?

1. Get the essentials: 

There are lots of products with lots of promises in the label. Some, promising to speed up hair growth within 2 months.  Don't misquote me! I'm not saying it doesn't work but if you must cut down on the cost of spending all that, you must stick to the essentials.
After spending money on various products, I've come to realise that all I need is a sulphate free shampoo, a rinse out conditioner, a deep conditioner, protein conditioner, leave in conditioners, butter and oil. I could also use gel to hold my style in place. .. keep it simple ladies.

2. Practise DIY treatment.

There are lots of DIY treatments that can help heal scalp and promote healthy hair. Maybe it's time you start practising them if you really want to minimise the cost of maintaining natural hair.

3. Stock different oil

Oil is very essential. You can't do without it. If you have not started using it, then it's time to go get some. Because someday or when it's late, you'll come to realise that oil has been missing in your regimen. Go the kitchen, get some, massage your scalp.
The only growth oil I've come to realise that works magic is castor oil so if your edges are all gone, treat it with castor oil. I am sure you don't want a healthy hair with no edges.

4 Get to know what works for you
You might however keep spending on products if you don't try to understand your hair. Most products you use on your hair are likely to sit on your hair if you have a low porosity hair and thus, causing build up. And if you have a high porosity hair, you might likely keep using products that cannot fill up the open cuticles in your hair and thus, making your hair dry and frizzy.
Know your hair type, know what your hair lacks and don't end up buying products that promises all the results you might never see.

See you there, confessing about the good hair days without spending $$$

Love Always, 
Martyna

Coconut Banana Hair Mask

The weather has made me dig deep to find hydrating mask for my dry hair. The weather is so dry that every day my hair keeps crying out for moisture and on weekends I can't do without a good hydrating mask.

I have been experimenting with lots of DIY lately, trying to find out what difference it makes to my hair and in so doing I experimented with coconut and banana. 

Ingredients

1 Coconut

1 Banana

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp olive oil

You'll also need a blender and a strainer for the coconut and banana, a shower cap and a mixing bowl to mix the ingredients together. 

I extracted my coconut milk from fresh coconut. 

And after blending the banana I strained the mixture in a bowl. You definitely do not want to skip this step because Bananas are difficult to remove unlike avocado hair mask.

I mixed both ingredients together and added 1 tbsp honey and I tbsp olive oil.

I mixed the ingredients together before applying.

After applying, I covered my hair with a shower cap as usual for 45 minutes. 

I used this treatment as a prepoo. So afterwards, I shampooed with ORS hairepair invigorating shampoo (sulphate free) and deep conditioned with Cantu deep treatment masque and 2 tsp of olive oil, allowing the deep conditioner for 30 mins under a steamer before rinsing.

I will definitely be repeating this treatment again especially because my hair is less frizzy. (banana at work)

My hair is recovering from a lot of heat damage and coconut milk has been my good friend *smiles*

Thanks for reading. 

Love Always, Martyna. 

BEGINNERS GUIDE: BUILDING A HAIR REGIMEN 2

Photo credit; Omoni Oboli

I have blogged about how to build a hair regimen but I decided to blog about this again because of the frequently asked questions I get on my mail.

Keeping your natural hair healthy is your responsibility.  If you don't keep up with your regimen, your hair will act negatively. Just the same appearance you'll get on your skin when you don't drink enough water.

Read also: Products to use when transitioning

Every effort you make on your hair will reflect. It may not reflect immediately but eventually you'll notice it. So it is not just all about growing your natural hair. You definitely do not want an uneven, spit ends, tangled and unhealthy hair. Seriously, who wants that?

Read also: Transitioning or big chop?

Regimens are intended to yield a certain result. You have to decide on your hair goals.
Do you want a healthy long hair?
Do you need to prevent breakage?
Does your hair lack moisture?
Are your edges thin and unhealthy?

Take a few minutes and decide on what you really want......

Now you've done that, let's group the  products for easy understanding

1. CLEANSERS - sulphate free shampoo, Co wash, cream cleansers, mud wash, clay wash

2. CONDITIONERS -  Deep conditioners, Every day conditioner, leave in conditioners.

3. MOISTURISING- Water, oils, moisturising cream

4. SEALANTS- Butters, oils

5. STYLES- Custards, puddings, gels

6. HOT OIL TREATMENT- Oils

7. PRE-SHAMPOO- Conditioners, oils

Read also Garlic for hair growth

Always prepoo your hair before every wash day and deep condition after every Wash day. You don't have to wait until you start experiencing breakage before you think of deep conditioning. Every week should be perfect for your hair. Or at least twice in a month.

If your hair feels dry during the week after moisturising and sealing, try using warm water to wash your hair on your next wash day. This helps to open the cuticles and hence, allow for easy penetration of products.

Hot oil treatments can be done three time in a week and don't forget to always sleep on a satin pillow or bonnet.

Love Always, Martyna. 

5 BEST MOISTURISING DEEP CONDITIONERS

Deep conditioning your hair should be a norm for a healthy hair. Deep conditioners help to eliminate frizz, it keeps your hair moisturised for a longer period and therefore increases hair manageability.

There is such thing as over - conditioning so, pay attention to your hair. If it's spongy or mushy, then you are over doing it.

Deep conditioning once a week is enough especially after every wash days

READ ALSO Benefits of deep conditioning with a plastic bag / shower cap

Conditioners that work magic

Cantu deep treatment masque

Creme of nature intensive conditioning treatment

Shea moisture deep treatment masque

Shea moisture strengthen, grow and restore treatment masque

Eden body works jojoba monoi. All natural deep conditioner

Thanks for reading.

Love Always, Martyna. 

HEALTHY HAIR PRACTICES I LIVE BY

When it comes to achieving a long healthy hair, there are things you can't do without. I call these things regimen or practices

Having a healthy hair is not just a day dream. It takes time and consistent practice.

I big chopped after 6 months. I am just 8 months into the family. There were lots of challenges I was faced with whilst transitioning. Keeping two textures was quite cumbersome and somehow, I couldn't cope with it so I decided to big chop.

I have come to understand that other people's regimen and product cannot work for me. When I started my hair journey, the first blogger I stumbled upon was Lush Strands and I wanted to use exact product she was using because she has  a healthy long hair.  The only product that was a keeper is Dove Intense Conditioner.

Then, I was focusing on length and not health. I didn't care about my edges. I just wanted a long hair and I'm still paying for the consequences till date.

So today, I will start off by listing the healthy practises I live by and hoping you don't end up making any hair mistakes.

1. I changed my mindset. Now  I crave for a healthy hair rather than length 

2. I deal with breakage as much as I can. Hair breakage = no length 

3. I am always on low manipulative style especially because of my edges.

4. I alternate between a deep moisture conditioner and a protein conditioner.

5. I massage my edges with castor oil and sometimes make a mixture of 2 or 3 oils, heat and massage my scalp.

6. I moisturise and seal after every wash day and nightly (3-4 times weekly)

7. I always prepoo my hair before every wash day.

8. And of course, sleep on a satin pillow or bonnet.

Thanks for reading. 

Love Always, Martyna. 

WAYS OF USING OIL ON YOUR NATURAL HAIR

Firstly, you have to decide on the oil to use. There are oils you use on your scalp that would just seat on your scalp without penetrating. While some oils are been absorbed by the scalp quickly. There are two basic type of oil Which are; carrier oil and essential oil.

Carrier oils are used as a base. Essential oils are highly concentrated and are used in very small amount (in drops). Essential oil can be diluted with carrier oil and applied on the scalp and this allows for easy penetration.

Some examples are listed below:

Carrier oil

Avocado oil

Almond oil

Argan oil

Castor oil

Extra Virgin olive oil

Grapeseed oil

Essential oil

Tea - tree oil

Rose mary oil

Lavender oil

Peppermint oil.

WAYS OF USING OIL TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY SCALP AND HAIR 

1. HOT OIL TREATMENT- Choose a carrier oil or a combination of oils. I use a mixture of almond, grapeseed and coconut oil.  I warm the oil in a bowl of hot water. I don't microwave or heat directly on fire because I feel heating has a negative impact on the nutrients. I dispense into an applicator bottle and apply directly on my scalp and massage gently. Next, put on a shower cap for 30 mins and proceed with conditioning or styling.

2. PRE -POO TREATMENT- Pre - poo treatment is short for pre - shampoo treatment. It is very similar to hot oil treatment but in pre - shampoo treatment, you can decide to add a conditioner, use natural treatment from the kitchen like garlic, onion, avocado e.t.c. It all depends on your choice of treatment. But all mentioned are treatments done to the hair prior to shampooing. I personally use light oils like grapeseed oil and almond oil because I notice that these oils penetrates easily into my scalp. You really need to pay attention to how  your hair responds to oil. Next, I mix with a conditioner.

I usually prepoo before every wash day and I often do it over night or by using a hair steamer.

3. FIXING YOUR CONDITIONER- If your conditioner do not have enough slip ( hair strands do not separate easily when coated with conditioner and you cannot comb easily) you can decide to add olive oil. Sometimes when I buy a conditioner for its fragrance and I notice I don't get the desired slip, I simply add an olive oil and viola.... Best conditioner ever. You should give it a try.

Thanks for reading. 

Love Always,  Martyna. 

RETURNING NATURAL/ WHAT I ACCEPTED ABOUT MY NATURAL HAIR BEFORE RETURNING NATURAL

Natural hair is trendy. Ladies are returning natural and if you are still not aware of this, then when it comes to natural hair you are virtually not existing. A hundred and one million ladies are returning natural so what are you waiting for?

Natural was where it all began. I started relaxing my hair around 2007. I knew I had a coarse hair and I have been relaxing since then and now, I've decided to return natural.

These are what I accepted

1. I have a type 4c hair. It is kinky, coarse, shrinks more than 50%. AND I LOVE IT

2. I would spend more time detangling my natural hair and styling wouldn't be a breeze. I WAS 90% READY FOR THIS.

3. I accepted the fact that my 2 years hair will not be noticeable but would seem like a 3 months hair. I WAS NOT SEEKING FOR NOTICE ANYWAY SO, NO BIG DEAL.

4. Chopping my relaxed/ texlaxed ends means short hair. THE TRUTH IS, I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH SHORT NATURAL HAIR STYLES. In fact, I've been itching to try a lot of them.

Photo credit: google

5. Some days, your style wouldn't turn out as beautiful as the styles on youtube.  I was also ready for that as I got my hair accessories ready for bad hair days.

I came prepared and no guilt at all. We love our natural tresses.

We slay

Team Natural

Thanks for reading. 

Love Always, Martyna. 

D I Y/ Protein Treatment and Finger coil

To start off, I did an ACV rinse. I didn't want to shampoo my hair. Click here to read about ACV rinse and how I use it.

Next, I mixed my deep conditioner, using natural ingredients. 

I deep conditioned on damp hair and covered my hair with heat cap for 45 minutes.

Next I started off with my style for the week.

 I applied my cantu shea butter leave in conditioner on damp hair, sealed with shea butter.

For my style, I needed my hair to have some hold since I was doing a finger coil. I used eco styler gel and applied on a section then coiled the ends of my hair.

When finger coiling, for the section of hair you want to coil, you twist the hair between your index and thumb finger and twist it until it's all coiled down. 

Normally, a finger coil looks more like this but last two weeks I tried this and didn't like how it looked on me

@glammzmore

Instead of coiling all the way down, I coiled only the ends and not the roots.

This is the final result and I like how this looks on me

My hair looks darker than the picture. I guess it's because of the flash.

The whitish residue is from the gel and it disappear once the hair is completely dry.

That's my style for the week.

Thanks for reading

Love Always 

Martyna. 

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2016.

From my kitchen, Happy New year.  *smiles*